Of Overtime Periods, Longest Game & Life

Most of us are probably not born yet when two fledgling NBA franchises – the Indianapolis Olympians and the Rochester Royals slugged it out on January 6, 1951.

It was supposed to be just another regular season game. But the ordinary game became extraordinary because for a while, it seemed like the game would never stop.

The Olympians and the Royals battled it out evenly for most part of the game, engaging in a record total six overtime periods, making it the longest NBA game ever played.

Indianapolis, only in its second season in the NBA back then, went on to edge Rochester, 75-73 after a tight game that lasted 78 minutes of game time.

Curiously, the Royals still went on to have a successful playoff run, leading to a 4-3 Finals series victory over the New York Knickerbockers to win their only NBA title in franchise history.

I wonder how many people watched the NBA’s longest game ever played in 1951? I wonder if they got bored, especially after seeing these two teams lay a big fat zero in the second and fourth overtime periods.

Oftentimes, in life, we have the tendency to be over-excited over various things – maybe as a kid, you are excited to celebrate your 7th birthday party, wishing it would happen now, even though you just celebrated your 6th birthday one day ago.

Perhaps, you could hardly wait for a big game in the PBA featuring Barangay Ginebra and Petron Blaze. Or maybe, NBA aficionados can’t wait to see Dwight Howard play his first game as a Los Angeles Laker.

At other times, we wonder what had happened to time because it seemed only yesterday that we were enjoying college life, but now, you probably are in your late 50s and are about to retire.

Yet, in all these, realize that God gave us different seasons (and time) of life for us to enjoy. Actually, 1440 minutes in a day and 365 days in a year.

God exactly knows what will happen to our life and our future.

Instead of wondering where precious time have gone, enjoy every moment of it, not in reckless abandon, but in things that would honor the One who gave us time.

As Moses said in Psalm 90:12 Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.